Reconstructing tsunami run-up from the characteristics of tsunami deposits on the Thai Andaman Coast

Tsunamis can leave deposits on the land surface they inundate. The characteristics of tsunami deposits can be used to calculate tsunami run-up height and velocity. This paper presents a reconstruction of tsunami run-up from tsunami deposit characteristics in a simple mathematical model. The model is modified and applied to reconstruct tsunami run-ups at Ao Kheuy beach and Khuk Khak beach, Phangnga province, Thailand. The input parameters are grain-size and maximum run-up distance of the sediment. The reconstructed run-up heights are 4.16–4.91 m at Ao Kheuy beach and 5.43–9.46 m at Khuk Khak beach. The estimated run-up velocities (maximum velocity) at the still water level are 12.78–19.21 m/s. In the area located 70–140 m inland to the end of run-up inundation, estimated mean run-up velocities decrease from approximately 1.93 m/s to 0 m/s. Reasonably good agreements are found between reconstructed and observed run-up heights. The tsunami run-up height and velocity can be used for risk assessment and coastal development programs in the tsunami affected area. The results show that the area from 0 to 140 m inland was flooded by high velocity run-ups and those run-up energies were dissipated mainly in this area. The area should be designated as either an area where settlement is not permitted or an area where effective protection is provided, for example with flood barriers or forest.     

A parallel dynamic programming algorithm for multi-reservoir system optimization

This paper develops a parallel dynamic programming algorithm to optimize the joint operation of a multi-reservoir system. First, a multi-dimensional dynamic programming (DP) model is formulated for a multi-reservoir system. Second, the DP algorithm is parallelized using a peer-to-peer parallel paradigm. The parallelization is based on the distributed memory architecture and the message passing interface (MPI) protocol. We consider both the distributed computing and distributed computer memory in the parallelization. The parallel paradigm aims at reducing the computation time as well as alleviating the computer memory requirement associated with running a multi-dimensional DP model. Next, we test the parallel DP algorithm on the classic, benchmark four-reservoir problem on a high-performance computing (HPC) system with up to 350 cores. Results indicate that the parallel DP algorithm exhibits good performance in parallel efficiency; the parallel DP algorithm is scalable and will not be restricted by the number of cores. Finally, the parallel DP algorithm is applied to a real-world, five-reservoir system in China. The results demonstrate the parallel efficiency and practical utility of the proposed methodology.     

Comparison of numerical solution and semi-empirical formulas to predict the effects of important design parameters on porpoising region of a planing vessel

Stability of the marine vessels in different conditions is one of the most important problems in the design of a planing vessel. In this research, the effects of some important design parameters (mass, longitudinal center of mass, deadrise angle, and length) of DTMB 62 model 4667-1 planing hull on the drag and also on the longitudinal dynamic stability (porpoising) are investigated in the velocity range of 2.12–8.486 m/s in calm water. In this paper, both numerical simulation of Reynolds Average Naiver Stokes (RANS) equations and semi-empirical formulas of Savitsky are used to analyze the motion of a 4667 planing vessel in calm water with two degrees of freedom (2DOF). For this purpose a finite volume, ANSYS-FLUENT, code is used to solve the Navier-Stokes equations for the simulation of the flow field around the vessel. In addition, an explicit VOF scheme and SST- Kω model is used with dynamic mesh scheme to capture the interface of a two-phase flow and to model the turbulence respectively, in 2DOF model (heave and pitch). Also, the results of both methods are compared with each other. According to the present results, changing the aspect ratio of the vessel and also the longitudinal center of gravity have the most effect on the porpoising region.     

Fragility and risk assessment of freestanding building contents

Multistorey buildings often have a valuable inventory consisting of objects that their possible damage during an earthquake will cause unacceptable losses. The paper presents a novel, fully performance-based seismic reliability and risk assessment framework for freestanding structural components and contents that can be modelled as rocking rigid blocks. The seismic response of building contents depends on several parameters such as the geometry of the object, the dynamic characteristics of the building and the storey that the object is located. The demand at the storey level is first obtained, and then the response of the contents is calculated using the storey acceleration response history. The demand of the structure is obtained with the aid of a modified version of the Incremental Dynamic Analysis method and subsequently the fragility curves of the rocking building contents are derived for every storey of interest. Different options for fragility assessment are discussed, and the underlying details of the problem are investigated. A simplified approach, where the fragility of the freestanding components and the structure are derived separately, is also presented. The method combines existing fragility curves and thus is suitable for quickly assessing the reliability of a building's inventory, offering sufficient risk estimates.     

Models of the formation of the solar nebula

Models of the collapse of a protostellar cloud and the formation of the solar nebula reveal that the size of the nebula produced will be the larger of $\text{R}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>CF</mtext>}}\text{≡ J}{}^2\text{/k}{}^2\text{GM}{}^3\text{and}\text{R}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>V</mtext>}}\text{≡ (GMv/2c}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>c</mtext>}}{}^3\text{)}\text{1}\text{2}$ (where J, M, and c_s are the total angular momentum, total mass, and sound speed of the protosetellar material; G is the gravitational constant; k is a number of order unity; and v is the effective viscosity in the nebula). From this result it can be deduced that low-mass nebulas are produced if P ≡ (R_V/R_CF)² ? 1; “massive” nebulas result if P ? 1. Gravitational instabilities are expected to be important for the evolution of P ? 1 nebulas. The value of J distinguishes most current models of the solar nebula, since P ∝ J^?4. Analytic expressions for the surface density, nebular mass flux, and photospheric temperature distributions during the formation stage are presented for some simple models that illustrate the general properties of growing protostellar disks. It does not yet seem possible to rule out either P ? 1 or P < 1 for the solar nebula, but observed or possible heterogeneities in composition and angular-momentum orientation favor P < 1 models.     

Stream-coordinate structure of oceanic jets based on merged altimeter data

The jet structure of the Southern Ocean front south of Australia is studied in stream-coordinate with a new altimeter product—Absolute Dynamic Topography (ADT) from AVISO. The accuracy of the ADT data is validated with the mooring data from a two-year subantarctic-front experiment. It is demonstrated that the ADT is consistent with in-situ measurements and captures the meso-scale activity of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). Stream-coordinate analysis of ADT surface geostrophic flows finds that ACC jets exhibit large spatio-temporal variability and do not correspond to particular streamfunction values. In the circumpolar scope ACC jets display a transient fragmented pattern controlled by topographic features. The poleward shift of jet in streamfunction space, as revealed by a streamwise correlation method, indicates the presence of meridional fluxes of zonal momentum. Such cross-stream eddy fluxes concentrate the broad ACC baroclinic flow into narrow jets. Combined with a recent discovery of gravest empirical mode (GEM) in the thermohaline fields, the study clarifies the interrelationship among front, jet and streamfunction in the Southern Ocean.     

北仑河口动力特征及其对河口演变的影响

对北仑河口自然环境动力要素的分析表明 ,河川径流、波浪、沿岸流及潮流是北仑河口演变的主要动力因素 ,三者的叠加不但使河道的大小、位置、形态等发生变化 ,而且还造成河岸的严重侵蚀     

广东吴川吴阳古沉船为明代古船文献考析

广东吴川吴阳镇是国家级的历史文化名镇,境内历史文物众多.因濒临南海,自古为雷州半岛与外界交往的海洋通道.据考察研究及文物普查,该镇存在着一处古沉船遗址.沉船年代未明,一说为唐宋船,一说为近代外国船.通过民俗、历史地理遗迹调查,结合相关历史文献,论证吴阳古沉船为明代古船的可能性,甚至为17世纪荷兰古沉船.古沉船的历史信息不仅丰富了雷州半岛与域外交往的历史,而且为今后进一步开展雷州半岛航海史考古特别是古沉船考古奠定了文献基础     

Sedimentary evolution of a late Pleistocene wetland indicating extreme coastal uplift in southern Tanzania

Facies analyses of Pleistocene deposits from southern coastal Tanzania (Lindi District) document that sediments formed in a wetland evolving on a coastal terrace in the Lindi Fracture Zone foreland. The exposed succession shows a marked sedimentary change from tidal to terrestrial facies. ¹⁴C analyses on gastropod shells indicate the emergence of the Lindi coast at ∼ 44 ¹⁴C ka BP. Emergence and subsequent elevation of terraces to 21 m above present-day sea level was linked to the falling eustatic sea level prior to the last glacial maximum, and to a periodic elevation due to extensional tectonic episodes in the eastern branch of the East African Rift System (EARS). Since ∼ 44 ¹⁴C ka BP tectonic uplift at the coast was 80-110 m, comparable to that in the extreme uplift areas of the EARS.     

秦皇岛市青龙县城工程场地动力特征及分区评价

工程场地动力分区评价（即地震影响小区划），是在工程场地地震危险性分析的基础上，根据场地岩土动力特征及地形地貌、地质构造条件等对地震动影响的反应程度，从而对不同类型场地的地震效应作出评价．其成果可做为建筑抗震设计、工程加固、震害预测与对策的制定及土地合理利用和总体规划布局的依据．本文以秦皇岛市青龙县城工程场地为例，进行了工程场地动力特征研究与分区评价及震害预测（即工程场地地震影响小区划）。